Spring Break: Spring Cleaning
It’s Spring Break. If you’re on vacation – Enjoy!
If you’re hanging out at home over Spring Break working or enjoying time off. I bet you’re beginning to think about spring cleaning. Those of you on vacation most likely have this on your to-do list when you return.
What comes to mind first when you hear people mention spring cleaning?
For me, I usually think about (and hopefully follow through by doing it) doing a deep cleaning of the entire house including washing the windows and screens, donating those clothes that don’t fit anymore, and rummaging through the cabinets and files pitching what I don’t use or need anymore. It’s also a great time to shred all the documents I don’t need to keep like boxes of tax information that are over seven years old.
However, there’s another facet to spring cleaning which I believe gets overlooked sometimes. It’s spring cleaning of the mind and taking time to reflect on how we’re doing on our goals for the year, tracking where we are with spending and saving money on what’s needed and investing time on what we say is important.
While we may not always enjoy cleaning and organizing the environment just think and remember how good it feels to have things crisp and clean and organized. It’s a great feeling to stand back and look at a job well done!
I sigh as I’m typing thinking about spring cleaning, knowing what I need and want to do. Yet like many, I am challenged with all the other ‘things’ I need and want to do. I also know the cleaner and more organized my environment is on the outside the calmer and more peaceful and creative I am on the inside.
Spring cleaning of the mind isn’t easy for me. Making and taking time to clear my head and evaluate what needs to stay and what needs to go in my mind is challenging because I like to be able to see the results of where I’ve spent my time and their not necessarily visible right away.
So, let’s do this together and take a few minutes to focus on doing some spring cleaning of the mind.
My calendar is my friend. Regardless of the type of calendar you use, if you’re like me your life lies within your calendar. I can open it up to a day, a week, or a month, and at a glance, I can clearly see where and how I’ve spent my time. Did I spend it on my goals? My family? Self-care? There’s no judgment. However, if you want to know if a change is needed it’s important to know where you’re spending your time and clean house in your mind and maybe on the calendar.
I worked on my taxes this week. Now that can be an eye-opener on where money goes, especially when you’re reviewing all those business expenses. One of my goals to clean my mind and to help focus on not only my business but also my personal life is to evaluate where I’m spending my money and my time. Are they in sync with one another? Do I have memberships I’m not utilizing? If I’m not using them and taking advantage of the opportunities, they offer, maybe I need to ask myself a couple of questions.
Now, you may be asking – but Ann, what if I don’t have a business? How does this pertain to me? We can do the same thing with our personal expenses or a budget we oversee at work.
As we work to do some spring cleaning with our thoughts, I encourage you to ask yourself tough questions and listen to the answers. You have the solution that’s right for you – you just don’t know it – Yet
Where do many of my thoughts lead me?
Do I focus on the positive or the negative?
Does social media consume more of my time than I want it to?
How much time do I spend on social media?
How much time do I need and/or want to invest in social media?
What is the purpose of me spending time on social media?
Do I spend enough or too much time on social media?
When is the last time I checked out my calendar and evaluated my activities?
Do my activities reflect what’s important?
If I have a gym membership, am I using it? If I’m part of an organization, am I participating and does it still bring me joy?
If you’re not using it ask yourself a few questions:
What are the reasons I’m not using the membership?
Is it still important to me?
Have I allowed myself to be too busy to enjoy it?
Does it still bring me joy?
Do I want to re-engage with the organization or membership?
If yes, when will I begin?
If not, do I need to take a break from it and step away for a short time? If you take a break, it doesn’t mean you’ll never go back. It just means you need a break.
Do you have new interests you want to pursue?
In answering how much you need or want to do something - Is it a hell no or a hell yeah? This will give you clarity on what to let wander around in your mind and what needs to be ‘cleaned’ out.
Feel free to add what works for you. Email me with ideas if you want to – I’m always open and you may see them in a future post. Full credit will be given if used. I believe in giving credit where credit is due.
One of our beloved fairytale leading ladies, Alice, from Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll, reminds me of the importance of doing some spring cleaning of the mind and figuring out what to keep, what to get rid of, and how to decide which road to take.
One day, Alice was running around Wonderland, chasing who knows what she came to a fork in the road. She stopped. She thought. She contemplated which road to take. She asked herself, loud enough for those close to her to hear, “Which path do I take?”
Sitting in the tree watching and listening was the extremely wise Cheshire Cat. Slowly he stretched his paws, and with a wide grin on his face and deep sigh he asked, “Well Alice, where are you going?”
Alice replied, “I don’t really know.”
He smiled and simply stated, “Then it doesn’t really matter which road you take.”
This is so true. If you don’t know where you’re going, it doesn’t matter which road you take. The path which will lead you to success is determined by what is important and what success looks like to you.
Spring is from spring cleaning. Take time to - Clear your environment. Clear your mind. Your path will become clear.
Remember:
“If it was easy, everyone would be doing it.”
Unknown
You got this. And I have your back.
Ann
